Jon Chu's G.I. Joe: Retaliation wasn't a hit with critics, but it certainly was a big success at the box office. Made for $130 million, the blockbusters managed to pull in over $375 million worldwide by the time it was done in theaters, which was enough to pull the project into black. Because of this, and because G.I. Joe remains a notable brand, many have wondered why it is we haven't seen a G.I. Joe 3 yet -- but the answer is pretty simple: they're waiting on key people -- especially Dwayne Johnson -- to have the time.
Byung-Hun Lee, who has recently been at the Toronto International Film Festival attending the premiere and press day for the upcoming remake of The Magnificent Seven, sat down with LRM and discussed the future of the G.I. Joe franchise. Asked about the future of the franchise, the actor who plays Storm Shadow explained that what's really holding the second sequel back is scheduling. He explained,
I heard from the studio that there's a possibility to do the third one, but I think they're waiting for the actors' schedules. They're arranging the schedules for the actors, especially Dwayne Johnson.
Given that Dwayne Johnson earned the appropriate nickname "Franchise Viagra" right around the time of G.I. Joe: Retaliation's release in 2013, it certainly makes plenty of sense that Paramount Pictures would want to wait until he would be available to play Roadblock again. Unfortunately for the sequel, Johnson is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and has been committing to projects like Fast 8, Baywatch, Jumanji, Doc Savage and more instead of the G.I. Joe series. If the studio really wants/needs Johnson to be involved, it's really no surprise that we haven't heard an update on G.I. Joe 3 in a while.
That being said, Paramount does seem to have a plan to build a larger franchise around the G.I. Joe property while they wait for Dwayne Johnson's availability. Similar to what they did for the Transformers franchise, the studio recently created a brain trust of creatives who could help generate new ideas for the future of the brand. This means that we could possibly see a series of spin-off movies set in the world of G.I. Joe before bringing the main series back with a new feature.
How do you think Paramount should proceed with the future of G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe 3? Do you think the studio is making the right choice in waiting for Dwayne Johnson to be available, or would you rather see the franchise move on without him and introduce a different hero? Or do you think that the whole thing should just be put to an end? The comments section below is made for your personal opinions on matters such as these, so go ahead and use it -- and check back in the future for more updates on this movie here on Cinema Blend!
